After absolutely mowing down every single lineup in Spring Training, Tanaka’s woes came to the surprise of many. For those who enjoy overreacting to Game 1 of 162, which seems to be most of the fanbase, a rotation of Tanaka and question marks became a rotation of pure question marks.

The right-hander cited the magnitude of the game as one of the reasons for his poor performance.

"Looking back, just because it was the first game of the season, maybe I was a bit hyped up." – Masahiro Tanaka

In order to make room for the veteran, the Yanks placed Didi Gregorius on the newly-established 10-day disabled list (retroactive to March 30) with his right shoulder strain. Tyler Austin, whose injury occurred early in camp, was moved to the 60-day DL.

With increases in luxury tax, this particular way of doing business has become the norm. It should not come as a surprise if the Yankees fall out of the top five before 2019, when the front office is expected to spend its way back into championship contention.